Imagine: The DVD

Imagine: John Lennon DVD review

Imagine: The DVD

In Imagine, the Lennon Estate enables John Lennon to narrate the story of his life through sound grabs and the highlights from over 800 hours worth of archived film, creating a visual tribute to himself, as:

a musician
a poet
a peace activist
a lover
a husband
a doting father

If you'd like to see John Lennon in the very best light, I cannot recommend this DVD more. While its centerpiece is the recording of the Imagine album in 1971, it nevertheless veers far and wide, either side of those sessions.

It's not all saccharine, either. You can expect:

a bit of swearing
some very minor nudity
some scenes in which the halo slips and you see him getting irritated like at the Bed In For Peace, when some guy says that what John & Yoko are doing is a cheap and pointless publicity stunt...and Lennon, looks like he's going to forego Peace and kill him!

...but everything is held together beautifully by Lennon's narration and passionate term of phrase.

Imagine: The DVD, re-released on the 25 anniversary of his death. is an excellent purchase for those who believe the John & Yoko story, making it a wonderful companion to Ray Coleman's biography, although, admittedly, that book goes into darker areas.

The sound is pretty good, and the 36 song soundtrack seem fantastic at times though the DVD extras are fairly minimal.

Is it worth it?

Well, there's plenty to watch as Lennon transforms from hero to martyr...but the tear-jerker ending which had to come...may well make you feel angry and helpless.

John Lennon: Imagine DVD

"...This was a very moving documentary. I was brought to tears while watching these moments in the life of John Lennon..." Amazon reviewer suppose

"...Lennon is portrayed as the caring and insightful man he was. A laid-back look at his life, this DVD reveals the good man in Lennon, the talented artist, and paints a portrait of one of the greatest 20th century musicians. Lennon simply entertains by being himself and sharing his music..." Amazon reviewer D. Mesirow "Dolphin Songsmith"

"...I've seen a lot of things done on John Lennon, from people acting out his life or people talking about him but this beats all of these because there's only one person who can tell you about John Lennon and that is John Lennon. It was a weird feeling, him narrating his life when we all knew how it ends but it gave the film that extra interest and talking about his life through his vastly intellegent and 'way out' way made it ever the more interesting..." Amazon reviewer Ian D. Gillies

John Lennon: Imagine soundtrack

"...This 21-song disc makes an admirable effort at compressing John Lennon's entire remarkable carreer onto a single album. All the way from the early Beatles rendition of Twist & Shout through classics like In My Life, Strawberry Fields Forever and Revolution, to his later solo work, this album gives a quick overview of the high-points of Lennon's musical career..." Amazon reviewer Geoffrey Holtby

"...I do not really like John Lennon singing. I only bought the CD for the only song I like, which is Imagine..." Amazon reviewer G.M. Rivera

"...This album offers the listener a great sampling of Lennon's entire discography. Certainly, arguments can be made about songs that should or should not have been included but this collection represents a noble and much-appreciated effort to keep alive the memory, music, and genius of an artist struck down much too soon. Imagine what could have been, but enjoy and appreciate what was..." Amazon reviewer Daniel Jolley

For more info, see: